Common Errors in English

The concept of Common Errors is a fuzzy one. We leave to linguists the technical definitions. Here we’re concerned only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers, editors, teachers and literate executives and personnel officers. The aim of this page is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment opportunities, lost business and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.

If your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or ignorant, you may want to consider changing it. You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please, but if you wish to communicate effectively, you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to rather than fall into it because you don’t know any better. Other sites do this. Ours is dedicated to errors in usage. This page is really aimed at the most errors of native speakers. The errors others make in English differ according to the characteristics of their first languages. Speakers of other languages tend to make some specific errors that are uncommon among native speakers.

We all commit mistakes from time to time. If you think you’ve found an error in our own writings, you are welcome to let us know it at once.